Tooth-brush.



No. 845,064. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

I. P. DROWNE.

TOOTH BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.26. 1906.

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UNITE srArns Panni- Fries.

FREDERICK P. DROWNE, OF WARREN, RHODE ISLAND.Y

TOOTH-BRUSH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2e, 1907.

Appiication medioctober 20,1900. serai No. 340,720.

My invention relates to improvements in tooth-brushes, and moreparticularly to separable tooth-brushes-that is, brushes in which thehead or bristle-carrying portion is detachably secured to the handlemember.

The object I have in view is to provide brushes of the class referred towith improved simple and inexpensive means whereby the head portion" maybe easily and quickly detached from the handle when desired and asreadily secured to it, the general form and appearance of the brushbeing substantially the same as the usual integral or one-piece brushes.

To that-end my invention consists, essentially, of a handle memberhaving a forkshaped metal extension, a brush-head adapted to receivesaid extension, and means for readily detachably securing said memberstogether.

In carrying out my invention I propose or prefer to use a handle made ofgold, silver, or other suitable metal or combination of metals, the samebeing made light and ornamental as may be desired. The back4 of thebrush-head may be made of'bone, ivory, or other suitable non-metallicmaterial and having a short rearwardly-extending shank varranged toreceive the corresponding portion4 of the handle and being to a certainextent adapted to interlock therewith, vthe other or forked extension ofthe handle being at the same time in frictionalengagement with thebrush-head, thereby preventing the. latter from turning and also frombeing accidentally detached from the handle..

By means of the invention one handle may be used with a number ofinterchangeablel brush-heads varying in size, form, Sac. f

In the accompanying sheet oli' drawings, Figure 1 represents a *sideelevation of a tooth-brush embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is acorresponding plan or top view. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the handlemember detached Jfrom the brush-head. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of thebrush-head itself. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, in enlargedscale, taken `on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 6 6'of Fig. 1. Fig. 7is a plan view showing a slightly-modified form of the head portion ofthe tooth-brush. Fig. 8 is a corresponding transverse sectional view,enlarged, taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is a plan view showinga modification of the extension or forked portion of the handle.

In my improved tooth-brush A the head portion a is provided withbristles m in any Well-known way. The back a itself may be handle b,about to be described..

made of bone or other suitable material or The last-named or handlemember may be A medium consists of a'pair of laterally-separatedresilient parallel elongated prongs c, adapted to be inserted inoppositely-disposed longitudinal grgoves or openings a2, formed in theside edges of the back a of the brushhead. The rear end of the shankportion of said back is cut away to forma flat deep transverse groove a4between the projecting upper and lower members a3 and a5 thereof,

as clearly represented in Fig. 4. It will be seen that the said groovesa2 communicate' 'with the groove a4, the form and arrangement of thesame being the counterpart of andadapted to snugly lit the correspondingpart of the thin metal extension or coupling member of the handle.

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In order to more securely fasten the brushhead and handle memberstogether, the thin connection c may have a pin p fixed therein, the sameextending upwardly a short distance and arranged to enter a hole formedin the underside ofY the said shan member a3. (See Fig. 5..)

In lieu of forming the longitudinalgrooves a2 in the back portion of thebrush-head for the reception of the prongs c the vback may IIO beprovided with similarly -spaced round l proved tooth-brush to have beenmade substantially as represented in the drawings, the manner ofassembling the same' may be described as follows: The free` ends of theprongs c of the coupling member c, rigidly secured to the handle b, areintroduced into and pressed endwise in the openings or grooves a2 of theback a until the metal uniting the base of the prongs is arrested in thebottom of the groove orcut-away portion a4 of the brush-heads shank, atwhich instant, owing partly to the slight flexibility ot the coupling,the short pin p snaps into the hole p', thereby locking the partstogether and completing the operation, the brush then being ready foruse, substantially as represented in Figs. 1 and 2.

The free ends of the prongs may be bent inwardly, as represented at c2,Fig. 9. When thus arranged, the said bent portions automatically springinto position partly around and snugly engage the front end of thebrushhead at the instant the head and handle members are normallycoupled together. In this case the pin p may be dispensed with, theconnection'or union of the parts being maintained by friction alone.

As hereinbefore stated, I do not claim,`

broadly, as my invention a tooth brush having a separable or detachablehandle. Brushes embodying my improvement, h oweyer, possess advantagesover others of this c ass.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by United StatesLetters Patent, 1s

1. As an improved article of manufacture a separable tooth brushcomprising the bristle-carrying head having the back member thereofprovided with laterally-separated oppositely-disposedlongitudinally-extending openings, and a handle member. having itsforward portionfork-shaped and adapted t0 be inserted in said openingsand normally held therein by the frictional contact of said members.

2. As an improved article of manufacture,

a separable tooth-brush consisting of the longitudinally aperturedbristle carrying head provided with a short shank, ahandle nember havinga fork-'shaped extension frictionally seated in the apertures of andsupporting said head member, and means located in said shank and theadjacentpart of the handle for detachably securing the head and handlemembers together.

3. As an improved article of manufacture,

head and shank and rigidly secured to the front end portion of saldhandle and forming an extension thereof, constructed and arrangedsubstantially as hereinbefore described.

5. In a separable tooth-brush, the combination with the brush-head andits handle member, `of a' thin metal coupling member rigidly secured toand forming a continuation of said handle and being in frictionalengagement with the brush-head whereby said parts are detachably securedtogether, and a pin fixed to said coupling and extending into the shankportion yof the said head, substantially as described and for thepurpose set forth. v Y -Y 6. The combination, 'in a separabletoothbrush, of the bristle-carrying head member having a pair oflongitudinal o positely-disosed parallel grooves formed t erein, and ahandle member having its forward portion provided with 'a thin slightlyresilient bifurcated or fork-like extension adapted to be inserted intosaid grooves of the brush-head and frictionally retained therein,substanY tially as described.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 4th day of October, `19(26.

FREDERICK P. DROWNE.

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